West River Nov 3rd

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

Its official I guided a client in his boat today using TUBES! Patrick Beltz caught a nice 47 1/2" muskie! Cullen is also still on fire,he will tell you about his great day I'm sure!

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

 The problem is that the NY DEC does not want to contaminate any of their Hatcheries with VHS because other VHS Free fish are raised at those Hatcheries.So the problem is not having a place to hatch the eggs that would be contaminated possibly with VHS.At the present time all the voices asking for a Great Lakes Hatchery for Walleye can't even get those funds allocated.But if you were bringing non VHS Chautauqua Strain Muskies to the East River your not spreading VHS and the strain or a version of it is already here.The Harbor is much more complex then the river,the Harbor's Habitat for substaining those muskie fingerlings you would stock if you were able to raise Great Lakes Strain is depleted to the point where there would not be the right forage base most likely for them to make it.I believe any move to improve the Harbor Muskie Fishery has to start with Habitat Restoration first of all.Stocking muskie fingerlings that have no good habitat to survive in or even find forage food to feed on ,could end up being whats happening now with an spawning that still goes on there,no survival rate at all!

The only true Wild Muskies left are Lake Erie Muskies,the Upper Niagara River Muskies are a mixture of Chautauqua Strain Muskies & Great Lakes Strain Muskies,that are naturaly reproducing.

[Scott McKee]

I'm going to recommend we form a new Conservation Committee at the March meeting to pursue habitat restoration in the Buffalo Harbor and Niagara River and go from there.  We have been lax in our conservation efforts lately other than education. Embarking and completing any restoration or improvement project is going to take hard work.  Hard work and volunteers have not gone hand-in-hand lately with our club.  I hope that changes in the near future. 

Adam, these flourishing fisheries are generally stocked.  We are lucky enough to have naturally reproducing muskies in our system.  I'm with John, wild fish do rule; let's not mess with that.  Let's provide the sexually mature muskies with better and more suitable sites to make baby muskies.

Increasing our release totals is only important if it is the result of a healthier, sustainable naturally reproducing fishery.

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

Scott,I can agree with you on Habitat Restoration being what needs to happen! I will be one that will step up to help!

[Stephen Glassic]

I guess you could call it opening up a new Musky Bed and Breakfast. LOL!!

[Mike "the facilities" Fortunate]

I will second larrys motion..and I too will step up and help......however only the same group of 15 people seem to be the ones helping and volunteering...we NEED THE NEW MEMBERS AND every else to help too! The same group of people just sit back and watch while others work and volunteer every time!

If you havent volunteered in the last year and always have an excuse why you cant well then this is ment for you! So basically If this hits a nerve with you, you are probably one of those people who need to step it up!

[Mike "the facilities" Fortunate]

...and you can start by volunteering for the outdoor show!

[Tony Scime]

We worked hard to try to get the DEC to have some limited stocking in the harbor. They declined due to concerns for genetic integrity. I'm sure expense was a factor, too. We have never supported stocking the river, and I don't believe that it is necessary.

I believe that the genetic integrity concern was alleviated by Kevin K's DNA study. The Harbor and River fish are the same. Although there was extensive historical stocking of  both Chautauqua and Kawartha strains (both were also extensively stocked in the St. Lawrence), Kevin's study suggested that neither survived over the long-term in the Niagara.  Kevin can confirm whether or not this is accurate. At any rate,  I'm sure that neither the DEC or Kevin would advise stocking Chautauqua strain into the river.

But I agree with John P., and Scott, wild fish rule!

Tony

 

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

Tony,That would be another great question to ask the NY DEC's Mike Wilinson on March 5th,if the Muskie DNA is the same in the Harbor as the Muskie DNA in the Upper Niagara River,"Why are the River fish markings mostly a mixture of bars and spots and the Harbor fish are mostly all spotted fish"!

[Tony Scime]

That's a good question Larry. I don't know if environment has anything to do with it.

[33sjfo56qd2lf]

I have a question regarding rebuilding habitat, not that I do not agree.  Since Lake Erie is split up into 4 parts, MI, PA, NY & Canada, there really is no way to find out where the majority of the current population spawns.  I do know that the canal that goes under Rt 5 near the Coke channel is being turned into a spawning area by the DEC right?  

I guess my question is this, our Lake boarders these other 4 places.  Granted I think wild fish rule too, but PA is stocking, which already throws a wrench into the natural reproduction process right?  I will ask the DEC at the next meeting about this.  Since PA is already doing it, and its the same body of water, I do not know what damage would be done that hasn't already been done to the natural reproduction process.

Scott Kitchen had told me it was being pushed for Strawberry Island to become a fish sanctuary and no boaters zone, which I think is a great idea.  It would be amazing if we could get the Gallagher Beach area to be a sanctuary as well.  I caught a small fish while fishing in the ice boom bay last year while pike fishing.  Since Pike open before muskies, those areas will get slammed for pike while muskies are probably spawning, making it easy for the incidental musky to be caught by pike anglers that probably do not know the difference between the two or how to handle the fish, as well as possibly disrupting the spawn.  Lucky for that little guy he was caught by me, because I released him boat side.  I have so many views and idea on things that could be considered detrimental to the fishery.  I really cannot wait to discuss this further at the meeting.

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

On another note I spent over an hour talking with Steve Lapan from NY DEC Region 6, he said no decision has been made on Nov 30th or Dec 15th season ending date yet.They are collecting concerns from Fishing Clubs and Fishermen through out NY state and any decision will be made on all those concerns together, not any one person's or clubs concerns.He has agreed to try to make the March 5th NMA Meeting.He will also try to make the March 18th NY M.I. Chapter 69 Meeting cc as well.Then he is to email me about a State of Lake Ontario Meeting coming up at R.I.T. in Rochester, NY soon where the Great Lakes Season Changes will be a topic of discussion.So everyone will have a chance to directly ask questions and get answers.

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

Besides the NMA March 5th Meeting there will be discusion on the Great Lakes Muskie Season Changes at these following State of Lake Ontario Meetings:

• Thursday, March 3, 2011: 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Building, 4487 Lake Avenue, Lockport, 14094 (Niagara County). The meeting is co-hosted by Niagara County Cooperative Extension and the Niagara County Sportfishery Development Board.
• Monday, March 14, 2011: 7 - 10 p.m. at the Imaging Sciences Auditorium, in Chester F. Carlson Building (76) on the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) campus, Rochester, 14623 (Monroe County). The meeting is co-hosted by RIT and the Monroe County Fishery Advisory Board